TBS is laughing it up with Diageo, GEICO and Twix for a “very funny” multiplatform promotional event featuring on-air and on-site sponsorships around this year’s Comedy Festival. In addition to on-site promotions designed for each brand, all three marketing partners will be featured in co-branded tune-ins leading up to each TBS prime time special: ELLEN’S REALLY BIG SHOW, Monday, Nov. 19, at 9 p.m.; BLUE COLLAR COMEDY TOUR: THE NEXT GENERATION, Saturday, Nov. 17, at 10 p.m.; and FRANK CALIENDO: ALL OVER THE PLACE, Friday, Nov. 16, at 10 p.m. Each brand will also receive custom billboards with commercial adjacency within each prime time special.
“There is no media comparable to the emotional power of television,” said Linda Yaccarino, executive vice president, Turner Entertainment Ad Sales & Marketing. “When you utilize that connection, combine it with a distinct network brand like TBS and wrap it around one of the most recognizable comedy events in the world, you come up with a powerful branded opportunity for an advertiser looking to engage a comedy lover. We were proud to deliver this opportunity to Diageo, GEICO and Twix around this year’s Comedy Festival.”
To further drive home their “very funny” sponsorships Diageo, GEICO and Twix will all feature their brands on-site at HBO and AEG Live’s The Comedy Festival (TCF) at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, for which TBS serves as title sponsor. Diageo, a leader in premium beverages, will supply a portion of the brands featured on-site at The Comedy Festival. GEICO will sponsor the Augustus Ballroom at Caesars Palace, featuring a significant branded presence and giveaways, as well as present “Simmons Says” at The Comedy Festival Village where they will also provide giveaways. Twix extends their branded recognition by sponsoring The Colosseum at Caesars Palace with signage, sampling and giveaways. In addition, they will feature the Twix “Laughter Loses” Tournament at The Comedy Festival Village. Throughout the four days, The Comedy Festival Village will offer an array of giveaways and celebrity appearances, along with free live performance and interactive fun.
Leading up to The Comedy Festival, Diageo, GEICO and Twix were featured in co-branded ticket information spots for The Comedy Festival featured on TBS. In addition, all three brands sponsored the TBS late night specials Very Funny Stand Up and Puppet Up in the weeks leading up to The Comedy Festival.
The third annual edition of The Comedy Festival will take place Nov. 14-17 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Continuing its tradition of presenting comedy’s biggest stars and cutting-edge talent, the four-day event will feature multi-artist performances, tributes, stand-up comedy, sketch comedy and televised special events. The Comedy Festival will take place in several venues throughout Caesars Palace, including the Palace Ballroom, which is being converted into the TBS Very Funny Theater
FRANK CALIENDO: ALL OVER THE PLACE – Friday, Nov. 16, at 10 p.m.
Comic everyman Frank Caliendo, famous for his pitch-perfect takes on such personalities as John Madden, Dr. Phil, President Bush and President Clinton, is preparing for the Nov. 20 launch of TBS’s new late night sketch comedy series FRANK TV. As a build-up to that show, he is headlining in his own one-hour stand-up special being shot at The Comedy Festival. The special is being produced by TBS Productions and New Wave Entertainment, with Barry Katz and Caliendo serving as executive producers.
BLUE COLLAR COMEDY: THE NEXT GENERATION – Saturday, Nov. 17, at 10 p.m.
Bill Engvall, who has won over audiences with his Blue Collar Comedy Tour appearances, is passing the torch on to a new generation by hosting this one-hour special, which will feature stand-up performances from comedians Reno Collier; TBS’s own Jamie Kaler, co-star of the acclaimed sitcom MY BOYS; John Caparulo; and Juston McKinney. The special is being produced for TBS by Parallel Entertainment, with J.P. Williams and Alan Blomquist serving as executive producers.
ELLEN’S REALLY BIG SHOW – Monday, Nov. 19, at 9 p.m., with an encore at 10:30 p.m.
Recording artists Mary J. Blige, Sheryl Crow, Barry Manilow, Lyle Lovett & His Large Band, and Wayne Newton are among the stars on tap for ELLEN’S REALLY BIG SHOW, Emmy®-winning talk show host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres’ throwback to the beloved variety shows of years past. The 90-minute variety special will also feature comedians Rhys Darby and Sean Cullen, singer Ryan Shaw and the African Children’s Choir and a host of unique variety acts, including magician Lance Burton, quick-change artists David & Dania (America’s Got Talent), the Fab Four Beatles tribute band, Peking Acrobats, the Footworkingz dancers, the U.S.A. All-Star Jump Rope Team and many more. In addition to performing a song, Lovett will serve as musical director and his Large Band will be the house band for the special. Crow’s performance will be the live, world premiere of her song “Shine Over Babylon” from her upcoming album, Detours. Las Vegas legend Wayne Newton will appear live, as well as in taped segments as a special, Las Vegas correspondent. The show is produced by TBS Productions in association with Embassy Row. Michael Davies (Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Power of 10, World Series of Pop Culture) executive produces for Embassy Row.
GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company) is the fourth-largest private passenger auto insurer in the United States. It provides auto insurance coverage for more than 8 million policyholders and insures more than 13 million vehicles. As a member of the Berkshire Hathaway group of companies, GEICO is rated A++ for financial stability by A.M. Best Company and ranks at the top of several national customer satisfaction surveys. For more information, go to www.geico.com.
TBS, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., is television’s top-rated comedy network. It serves as home to such original comedy series as My Boys, The Bill Engvall Show, Tyler Perry’s House of Payne, 10 Items or Less and Frank TV; hot contemporary comedies like The Office, Sex and the City, Everybody Loves Raymond, Family Guy, King of Queens, Seinfeld and Friends, with My Name Is Earl joining the line-up in 2008; specials and special events, such as Funniest Commercials of the Year and The Comedy Festival in Las Vegas; blockbuster movies; and hosted movie showcases.
In its first two years, more than 100,000 people have attended The Comedy Festival. Highlights include stand-up performances by Jon Stewart, Dave Chappelle, Dane Cook, Bill Maher, Carlos Mencia and Sarah Silverman, as well as special event presentations of The Comedian Award to Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog’s Poopapalooza and Don Rickles’ receipt of the first Caesars Palace Laurel Award. Past television highlights include a 2006 airing of the 20th anniversary of Comic Relief (HBO and TBS), starring Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams, with special appearances by Ray Romano, George Lopez and Susie Essman and the cast of Entourage; A Salute to the Troops and USO (TBS) with special guests Kid Rock and Carmen Electra; and 2005’s Earth to America (TBS), with Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Larry David, Steve Martin and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The Comedy Festival evolved from the foundation HBO laid out at the annual U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen. Joining forces with live event producer AEG Live and title sponsor TBS, HBO presented the inaugural TCF in 2005.
Home Box Office, Inc. is the premium television-programming subsidiary of Time Warner Inc., providing two 24-hour premium television services, HBO and Cinemax. Together, both networks reach approximately 39 million subscribers in the United States via cable and satellite delivery. Home Box Office’s international joint ventures bring HBO branded services to more than 50 countries around the globe.
AEG Live, the live-entertainment division of Los Angeles-based AEG, is dedicated to all aspects of live contemporary music performance, touring for a variety of programming and multi-media production. One of the largest concert promotion and touring companies in the world, AEG Live is comprised of special event, broadcast and exhibition divisions and operates and owns numerous state of the art venues nationwide. Current AEG Live tours and productions include Celine Dion A New Day at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace and Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, an international tour of the artifacts of King Tut. Recent and current promoted concert tours include Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Prince, Bon Jovi, Usher, Nickelback, Kenny Chesney and Rod Stewart. AEG Live also co-produces the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Goldenvoice, the company’s southern California-based regional promotion division, created and operates the award winning annual Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival.
Reigning at the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, Caesars Palace ranks among the world’s top luxury resorts known for their originality and beauty and features 3,340 hotel guest rooms and suites, 26 unique restaurants and cafes, 4.5-acre Garden of the Gods pool and garden complex, the 50,000 square foot Qua Baths & Spa and 240,000 square feet of premium meeting and convention space. The 4,100-seat Colosseum sits just steps from celebrity chef restaurants and the acclaimed Forum Shops at Caesars and spotlights such world class entertainers as Celine Dion, Elton John and Jerry Seinfeld, as well as, starting in February 2008, Bette Midler. Journalists can access media materials and request high-resolution image downloads at media.harrahs.com.
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.
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